Match 2 - Board 23

Board 23
Both sides vulnerable

♠ -- ♥ A 7 6 4 ♦ A K Q 7 5 ♣ A 6 3 2

I open one diamond, and partner responds one heart. This hand is too good simply to splinter with three spades. I would bid three spades if my diamond deuce were a small spade, and this hand is about a trick and a half better. The way to show a hand too good to splinter is to start with a jump shift, hoping to be able to jump in partner's suit at your next turn. That doesn't always work out, however. If partner is so thoughtless as to rebid his suit, for example, you have a problem. Some play that, if responder does rebid his suit over a jump shift, a bid of fourth suit by opener is articial, specifically showing the too-good-to-splinter hand. In this auction, however, fourth suit would be below three notrump, so I don't think it should mean that. It should simply be a probe for the right game. So, if I bid three clubs and partner does rebid three hearts, I will have no choice but to drive past game. Since I can conceivably make a grand slam opposite five hearts to the king and out, I don't mind that so much. I bid three clubs.

Over three clubs, partner bids three notrump. I can't jump any more. But simply pulling three notrump to four hearts shows four trumps, so partner will know this is a prepared auction. I bid four hearts, and partner raises to six. I pass, and RHO leads the king of clubs.

	NORTH ♠ -- ♥ A 7 6 4 ♦ A K Q 7 5 ♣ A 6 3 2
	SOUTH ♠ Q 5 4 3 ♥ K 10 9 8 5 ♦ J 3 ♣ J 10

West	North	East	South
	1 ♦	Pass	1 ♥
Pass	3 ♣	Pass	3 NT
Pass	4 ♥	Pass	6 ♥
(All pass)

Three notrump with queen fourth of spades was not a good call. Partner should have shown a preference with three diamonds. After opener's jump shift, responder should generally prefer this preference to save room if no other bid stands out. But everything worked out OK. Six hearts looks like the right spot.

If hearts are three-one, I will need to find at least two diamonds in the hand with the long heart. Is there anything I can do about four-zero hearts? Possibly. The play will involve cashing as many diamonds as I can and crossruffing black suits. It's clear that cashing the heart ace leaves me better placed to execute that plan than cashing the king. That's as far ahead as I need to think at this point.

I cash the heart ace, and everyone follows low. I continue with a heart to the king. Again, everyone follows. Unless diamonds are five-one, I have the rest. Is there any way I can take the rest if diamonds don't split? I don't have enough entries to my hand to ruff two spades, then run trumps for a squeeze. Perhaps the best thing to do is not to ruff the spades right away but to save the ruffs as dummy entries. If someone makes a mistake and pitches a club from, say, 8xxx, I can use those entries to ruff out clubs and cash a club trick.

It may seem like an unlikely mistake for someone to make. But I can give them a little nudge by pitching a spade from my hand on the third round of diamonds. The opponents will expect me to pitch a club on the third diamond. If I pitch a spade instead, they may lazily conclude that I don't have a club. The hand with 8xxx of clubs, thinking his partner has KQ109, may see no reason to keep all his clubs. It's surprising how often opponents make mistakes like that, especially if you hum a little lullaby as you run the diamonds, so it pays to give them the chance. I do think this mistake is more likely than my legitimate shot of finding someone with ace-king doubleton of spades. So I don't ruff any spades. I cash the jack of diamonds and play a diamond to dummy. Everyone follows. No mistakes are required. I claim.

	NORTH ♠ -- ♥ A 7 6 4 ♦ A K Q 7 5 ♣ A 6 3 2
WEST ♠ J 10 8 7 2 ♥ J 2 ♦ 9 4 ♣ K Q 8 5		EAST ♠ A K 9 6 ♥ Q 3 ♦ 10 8 6 2 ♣ 9 7 4
	SOUTH ♠ Q 5 4 3 ♥ K 10 9 8 5 ♦ J 3 ♣ J 10

Only two other pairs reached a slam, so this result is worth ten matchpoints. Come to think of it, six hearts was a rather aggressive call with partner's hand. Change my diamond queen to the heart queen, and six isn't much of a contract. But I can't say that I have any good suggestions as to how the auction should proceed from that point. If anyone does, please comment.

Score on Board 23: +1460 (10 MP)
Total: 180 (65.2%)

Current Rank: 1st